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Michael C. Wright
HOUSTON — Rockets star Kevin Durant drilled a 10-foot jumper with 6:15 remaining in the first quarter Friday against the Phoenix Suns to become the eighth player in NBA history to reach 31,000 career points.
Entering the matchup against his former team, Durant needed four points to hit the milestone. He got there with a pair of free throws and a midrange jumper on his third attempt of the night.
Just two nights before, Durant lamented missing out on the opportunity join the company of 31,000-point scorers Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James during a 121-95 win over the Sacramento Kings. Needing 28 points in that contest to reach the milestone, Durant played 32 minutes but sat out the majority of the fourth quarter and finished with 8 assists, 3 rebounds and a block to go with his 24 points.
“Damn, I could have [done] that tonight,” Durant quipped after Wednesday’s win when informed of how close he was. Durant then expressed appreciation for his latest accomplishment when asked whether career milestones still move him at this stage of what will be a Hall of Fame career.
“Yeah, they do. Hell yeah,” Durant said. “I mean, eight players in the history of the game, that’s insane.”
Durant remains at eighth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list behind James, Abdul-Jabbar, Malone, Bryant, Jordan, Nowitzki and Chamberlain. If the 15-time NBA All-Star remains healthy, it’s likely he’ll pass Chamberlain (31,419 points) and Nowitzki (31,560) this season and perhaps even Jordan (32,292).
“I’m always grateful for all my coaches, teammates, guys that set screens for me, that give up their shots to look for me, that [have] encouraged me throughout my entire career,” Durant said. “I had a few teammates, playing with Russ [Westbrook], he meant a lot in my career when it comes to that. Steven [Adams] meant a lot in my career. Jeff Green. So, every time I hit these milestones I tend to think about my teammates and the journey I’ve been through. Even as a kid, so many people invested in my life, in my career and wanted to see me do well. So, I owe a lot to them. I always think about that when I hit milestones like this.”
